Spiked Holiday Egg Nog- 3 ways

Happy New Year! Crazy to think that Christmas is already over and in just a few days the New Year will be upon us. I’m currently in my family’s living room, warming my chilled toes by the warm fire and sipping on a glass of wine (although it should be egg nog, of course!). If it were daylight out, I’d also be gazing out at the freshly fallen snow, taking in the last few moments of the holiday and the warming glow of the Christmas tree before the year comes anew. It’s been a beautiful few days spent with family and even though I’m sad to see the time fly by so quickly, I am really looking forward to a new year and all the excitement to come.

Recently Eva and I got together and developed 3 incredibly delicious Spiked Holiday Egg Nog recipes and the entire time we were all giddy, excited to share it with you in time for your New Year’s party!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been thrilled with egg nog- you know, the kind you find in the stores that is thick and sweet. Even though it may taste “traditional”, after a few sips I’ve always felt overwhelmed with the sweetness and lack of pure ingredients.

However, at a recent holiday gathering, one of my friends brought his own homemade version of spiked egg nog and I was instantly shocked and knew right away that I needed to try it for myself! So, all that to say, if you haven’t ever been keen on egg nog, definitely make sure to give this a try regardless because it’s quite different from what you’d expect. It’s lighter, more flavorful, and surprisingly delightful.

We’ve developed 3 recipes; Tequila Citrus, Hazelnut Maple & Spiced Blackberry eggnog. They are all slightly different, both in the milk and cream content, alcohol, and type of sweeteners (honey, sugar and pure maple syrup) but you can certainly taste the difference in the end result. I honestly had such a hard time deciding which was my favorite!

I hope you are able to try out each recipe – let me know which one you love the most! I’d recommend making a couple batches as they store well in the fridge ( I use mason jars) for 1-2 weeks. Enjoy!

Beat the yolks, granulated sugar, and brown sugar at high speed with a whisk attachment until the mixture is very pale and fluffy and thick and a steady ribbon of the mixture flows down from the whisk when it’s lifted from the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. Empty the egg yolk mixture into a blender, and add the milk, cream, tequila, cointreau, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Cover and blend at medium speed for 30 seconds. Stir in any froth on top of the mixture and empty into serving vessel. Garnish with a few pinches of nutmeg and lemon zest. Can be served immediately or chilled. Will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Hazelnut Maple Eggnog

4 eggs, separated

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup

16 ounces whole milk

8 ounces heavy cream

3 ounces cognac

2 ounces hazelnut liquor

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

1/2 teaspoon cloves
pinch of cocoa powder, optional garnish

Beat the yolks and maple syrup at high speed with a whisk attachment until the mixture is very pale and fluffy and thick and a steady ribbon of the mixture flows down from the whisk when it’s lifted from the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. Empty the egg yolk mixture into a blender, and add the milk, cream, cognac, hazelnut liquor, nutmeg, and cloves. Cover and blend at medium speed for 30 seconds. Stir in any froth on top of the mixture and empty into serving vessel. Garnish with a few pinches of nutmeg and cocoa powder. Can be served immediately or chilled. Will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Spiced Blackberry Eggnog

4 egg yolks, separated

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey

16 ounces whole milk

8 ounces heavy cream

4 ounces spiced rum

3 ounces blackberry liqueur

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Beat the yolks and honey at high speed with a whisk attachment until the mixture is very pale and fluffy and thick and a steady ribbon of the mixture flows down from the whisk when it’s lifted from the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. Empty the egg yolk mixture into a blender, and add the milk, cream, rum, blackberry liqueur, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cover and blend at medium speed for 30 seconds. Stir in any froth on top of the mixture and empty into serving vessel. Garnish with a few pinches of nutmeg. Can be served immediately or chilled. Will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.